Welcome to Gaia! ::

First off I love good quotes... and Zen quotes are some of the best... so here are a few, and I would love to read some new ones...

A student once asked his teacher during a meditation retreat, "I am very discouraged. What should I do?"
Teacher replied, "Encourage others."

hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world; it is appeased by love. this is an eternal law. (from the dhammapada smile

As long as the sky exists
And as long as there are setient beings,
May I remain to help
Relieve them of all their pain
(shantideva's prayer)

Not all of these are Zen, some are just quotes from famous Buddhists or familiar Japanese proverbs, etc.... I hope you all enjoy...

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." - Dalai Lama

"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." - Dalai Lama

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." - Dalai Lama

“My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles” - Mahatma Gandhi

“You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“The most heinous and the most cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Almost everything you do will seem insignificant, but it is important that you do it” Mahatma Gandhi

“Intolerance betrays want of faith in one's cause” - Mahatma Gandhi

“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“We must always seek to ally ourselves with that part of the enemy that knows what is right” - Mahatma Gandhi

“The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children” - Mahatma Gandhi

"Patience is self-suffering." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Just as the highest and the lowest notes are equally inaudible, so perhaps, is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligible." - Allan Watts

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts." - Buddha

"If you haven't wept deeply, you haven't begun to meditate." - Ajhan Chah

"When you see a good man, try to emulate his example, and when you see a bad man, search yourself for his faults." - Confucious

"It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs." - Confucious

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." - Socrates

"An honest man is always a child." - Socrates

"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." - Socrates

Sorry there are so many, I may have gotten a little bit carried away with this wonderful topic *hehe* -[Haruko]

*lol* I didn't put one of my favorite quotes on there...
I have no idea who says it, but it goes a like this...

"A wise man surely pays no heed,
to words intended to mislead."

But I suppose I don't really have one single favorite...
I love so many beautiful quotes. -[Haruko]

*Teehee* you make me smile. -[Haruko]

"The way to transcend karma lies in the proper use of the mind and the will. The oneness of all life is a truth that can be fully realized only when flase notions of a separate self, whose destiny can be considered apart from the whole, are forever annihilated."
~ Bruce Lee

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.
-Buddha

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
-Buddha

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
-Buddha

Be the change that you want to see in the world.
-Mohandas Gandhi

Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and importance, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.
-Margaret Thatcher

Would these also include koans?
I love koans owo

When Banzan was walking through a market, he overheard a conversation between a butcher and his customer.
"Give me the best piece of meat you have," said the customer.
"Everything in my shop is the best," replied the butcher. "You cannot find here any piece of meat that is not the best."
At these words, Banzan became enlightened.